The present invention relates to a lift and tilt device for a wheelchair and more particularly a lift and tilt device which is portable, lightweight, quickly connected and disconnected to any number of wheelchair structures, and may be easily stored when not in use.
The transfer of non-ambulatory persons in wheelchairs to a dental or barber chair may sometimes be hazardous to the person's health and, at the very least, difficult and uncomfortable. Dental care presents a particularly difficult problem in that the patient is preferably placed in a prone position during examination. Patients with neurological diseases or others who may need dental care cannot always be moved easily to a conventional dental chair. These patients are typically treated in their wheelchairs, while the dentist must assume a strained or contorted position, to perform the necessary examination or therapy. This results in extreme fatigue on the dentist and a reduction of the dentists' ability to render proper care.
Wheelchair lifts that also tilt are generally known in the art. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,476,404 and 3,455,465 which generally show a wheelchair lift and tilt device, as well as those shown in U.S. Pat Nos. 4,389,056, 4,192,549, 4,527,944 and 4,561,823, include large support platforms and/or complex support frames. However, it is desired to provide a structure that is portable, easily assembled, conveniently stored in an out of the way place and easily transferred from location to location as desired.